Adjustable railing fitting



May 3, 1938. A. E. HOHMEISTER 2,115,953

ADJUSTABLE RAILING FITTING 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 26, 1936 A TTORNE Y.

A. E. HOHMEISTER 2,115,953

ADJUSTABLE RAILING' FITTING Filed Feb. 26, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 412mm 5. HORNE/STE}? BY fm @W A TTORNE Y. 7

55 Fig.

Patented May 3, 1938 Arthur E. Hohmeistel', Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor of one-half 'toJames G. Denier, Cincinnati,

Application Febrnary 26, 1936, SeriaI No. 65,795 4 Claims. (Cl.,287---14) The invention relates to adjustable and inter-, changeableparts or couplings particularly adapted for use in forming railing fittings;

Heretofore, considerabledifiiculty, expense and inconvenience has been experienced by plumbers,

contractors, and other constructors and'builders,

who desire to assemble various available parts for the purpose of constructing and installing railings for different purposes. a

; Generally speaking, it is necessary that sellers and dealers stock'a great amount of parts or con;- plings in order to be able to supply users with the required parts capable of being utilized to construct railings of the desired forms and shapes.

This is readily apparent when it is considered thatalmost every conceivable angle exists between the pipe ends which must be substantially and securely fastened together.

Therefore, an important object of applicants 21y invention is to provide simple, efficient, practical and'desirable means which may be manually utilized to quickly, conveniently and securely fasten together the ends of pipes, rods, and the like, when said pipes, rods, and the like, extend at any angle with respect to each other.

Other objects of-the invention are to provide durable means to fasten together the ends of pipes, rods, andthe like, said means comprising a plurality of interchangeable parts movable at 30 different angles with respect to one another whereby, irrespective of the angle at which said' pipes, rods, and the like-extend, said parts may be manually assembled and adjusted to form var- 4 is a sectionon line 4: 4 of Fig. 3;

6 is a section on line 66in Fig; '5; p '7 is an end elevational view of a, coupling; 8 is a section on line 88 in Fig. '7;

10 is a section on line l0 IilinFig. 9;

11 is a plan elevational view of a fitting;

12 is a section on line I2-|2in Fig. 11;

13 is a plan elevational View of a coupling;

14 is a section on line 14-14 in Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a plan elevational View of a fitting; Fig. 16 is a section taken on line Iii-l6 in Fig. 15; 60 Fig. 17 is a plan elevational view of a fitting;

3 is a side elevational viewof a coupling;

5 is a side elevational view of acoup ling';

9 is an end elevational view of a coupling;

Fig. 18 is a section taken on a line corresponding to line [8-18 in Fig. 17;

Fig. 19 is a plan elevational view of fitting;

Fig. 20 is a section taken on a line corresponding to line 20-2ll in Fig. 19.

In the preferred construction of the invention I provide five differently constructed couplings I, 2, 3, 4, 5.

The coupling 1 consists of the oppositely disposed and internally threaded mouths or bells 6 and 7, having their inner ends integrally connected with the disc 8 having therein the centrally disposed hole 9. The disc is in parallel relation to the side walls it of the mouth or bells.

The opposite faces of the flange or disk portion 8 are fiat, and one of said faces is coplanar with the center line or longitudinal axis of the socket or bell portions 6 and l.

The coupling 2 consists of the internally threaded mouth or bell l I having integrally connected with its inner end, and adjacent its side H the cup or cap I3 having integrally connected with its bottom M the centrally disposed and inwardly extending boss it through which, is the hole 16 in which is internal threads. The bottom M of the cup is parallel with the sidewalls ll of the bell. The top or circumferential edge of the cup or cap it, adapted to contact the disk or web portions 8 of coupling l, as shown in Fig. 14, is flat and so related or offset relative to the center line or longitudinal axis of the bell or socket portion H of the coupling 2, that the said center line or axis is coplanar with the center line or longitudinal axis of the coupling 1, when assembled therewith, as shown in Fig. 14. In other words, the said edge of cap 13 is spaced from the indicated center line, a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the web or disk 8.

The coupling 3 consists of the internally threaded mouth or bell 18 having integrally connected with its inner end the disc 19 having the offset and thickness of disk It of coupling 3 corr responds to the thickness and offset of web or disk 8 to either socket of coupling i. The coupling 4 consists of the mouth or bell 22' having integrally connected with its inner end the cup or cap 23 having the centrally disposed hole 24 therein. The bottom 25 of the cup 23 extends at right angles to the side walls 26 ofthe mouth or bell 22.

The coupling 5 consists of the cup 21 having the boss 28 integrally connected with its bottom When assembling a cross adjustable for all angles, as shown in Fig. 11, three couplings 3 are arranged with their discs I9 adjacent each other and with the holes 20 in alignment. Then the coupling 2 is arranged with the boss I adjoining the outer surface of the outer discs I9, of the coupling 3, and with the hole I6 in alignment with the holes 20. Then the bolt 3| is passed through the holes I6 and 2|] in the boss I5 and the discs I9, and the end 32, of the bolt 3|, is screwed into the hole IS in the boss I5, of the coupling 2. Then the other end 33 of the bolt 3| is screwed into the hole 30, in the boss 28, of the coupling 5, as by rotating the coupling 5 with respect to the bolt 3|. The mouths I8 of the couplings 3, and the mouth I I, of the coupling 2, may be manually moved into any relative position (as by rotating cup I3 and the discs I9, on the bolt 3|) for the purpose of positioning the mouths I I and I8 in alignment with the ends 34 of the pipes 35 to which the mouths are attached, as by screwing the ends 34 of the pipes into the respective mouths.

If the two pipes 36, 31 and 36, 31, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, to be connected are in longitudinal alignment with each other, the couplings shown in Fig. 11, may be substituted by the couplings I whose holes 9 in the discs 8 receives the bolt 3| and the cups 2'! of the two couplings 5 may contact the oppositely disposed sides of the discs I. As by manually rotating either of the coupling I, the mouths 6 and I may be positioned at any desired angles with respect to the mouths 6 and I, of the other coupling I.

In order that the outer surfaces of the cups I3 and 21, of the couplings 2 and 5, shall have no bolt protruding therefrom the coupling 5 should be attached on one side of the cross, T or elbow which is formed from the couplings I, 2, and 3 whereby, after the bolt 3| is protruded through holes 9, or 29 in the couplings I and 3, (when these couplings are used) the one end of the bolt may be screwed into the hole I6, of the boss I5, of the coupling 2, and coupling 5 may be manually screwed onto the other end of the bolt.

If a T 40 is desired to be formed it may comprise the couplings I, 2 and 5, as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, or the T 4| may comprise the couplings I and 3 and 5, as shown in Figs. 1'7 and 18, or the two couplings 3, and the couplings 2 and 5, as shown in Figs. 19 and 20, may form the T 42.

It is quite apparent that numerous and many different kinds of Ts, crosses and elbows may be formed by combining the couplings I, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In fact irrespective ofthe form of the rail fittings required it may be formed from some combination of the couplings, in combination with the bolt 3|.

For the reason that various and many different crosses, Ts, and elbows may be formed by use of the couplings, a great reduction in stock of any dealer will result by use of the invention, because by use of five different couplings any number of crosses, Ts and elbows with their mouths extending in different directions, may be formed.

It is, therefore, quite apparent that I have invented a highly desirable device for the intended purposes which may be utilized for quickly and securely connecting the ends of pipes which extend at different angles.

While I believe that the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is eflicient and practicable, yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of the device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that changes in the details may be re sorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the claims. Hence I do not limit myself to the precise details of the materials or the size and shape thereof as set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended and final claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of identical couplings, each comprising a pair of socket members and a disklike connecting web having opposed fiat faces, said web extending between said socket members, each web member having a flat face disposed coplanar with the center line or longitudinal center line of its associated socket members, said last mentioned face of one coupling being disposed in contact with the corresponding face of the web of the other coupling, and means for securing the said web members together in various adjusted positions about an axis perpendicular to the plane within which said contacting faces of the Web members are disposed.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in combination with a socket member mounted on one of said web members and having its center or longitudinal axis in alignment with the said perpendicular axis.

3. A coupling of the class described comprising a central annular web member having fiat opposed faces and integral socket members attached to the web member at diametrically 0pposite positions, each socket opening outwardly and having an annular bore aligned with the bore of the other socket, the Web having one of its flat faces coplanar with the axis of the aligned bores in the socket members.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a coupling comprising a central flat disk-like web member and a pair of socket members disposed at diametrically opposite sides thereof, the socket members having aligned annular bores opening away from said web member, the web member having one of its fiat faces disposed coplanar with the axis of said bores in the socket members, of a second coupling comprising a web member and a socket member having an annular bore, the web member having a face offset from the axis of the bore at a distance such that upon mounting of said fiat face of the second mentioned coupling on a fiat face of the first mentioned coupling, the axes of said bores are all coplanar, and means for securing the said web members together in various adjusted positions about an axis perpendicular to the plane of said bore axes.

ARTHUR E. I-IOHMEIS'IER. 

